Kenya cancels proposed deals with Adani Group after U.S. indictments

NAIROBI (Reuters) -Kenyan President William Ruto said on Thursday he had ordered the cancellation of a procurement process expected to hand control of the country’s main airport to India’s Adani Group following the indictment of the company’s founder in the United States.

Ruto said he had also directed the cancellation of a 30-year, $736-million public-private partnership deal the energy ministry had signed with a unit of the Adani Group last month to construct power transmission lines.

“”I have directed agencies within the ministry of transport and within the ministry of energy and petroleum to immediately cancel the ongoing procurement,” Ruto said in his state of the nation address, attributing the decision to “new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations”.

U.S. authorities said on Wednesday that Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest people, and seven other defendants agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials.

Adani Group denied the allegations and said in a statement that it would seek “all possible legal recourse”.

Earlier on Thursday, Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi had said there was no bribery or corruption involved in the award of the transmission lines contract.